In recent years, liquid crystal display devices are rapidly becoming popular as alternatives to cathode-ray tubes (CRTs). Such liquid crystal display devices are used in a wide variety of devices, such as television devices, monitors, and mobile phones, because of their characteristics such as energy saving, reduced thickness, and lightweight.
In particular, there has been recently grown the so-called mobile device equipped with (i) a battery functioning as a power supply and having limited capacity and (ii) a liquid crystal display device functioning as display means.
In such a mobile device, the battery having limited capacity is employed as the power supply. Therefore, for a longer continuous operation time of the mobile device, greater importance is placed on reduction of power consumption of the liquid crystal display device.
Under the circumstances, attention has been given to a technique of realizing low power consumption of a liquid crystal display device by (i) increasing an aperture ratio and transmittance of a liquid crystal display panel provided in the liquid crystal display device and (ii) reducing a light amount of a backlight accordingly.
The liquid crystal display device most commonly used in the past is a TN (Twisted Nematic) mode liquid crystal display device which uses liquid crystal molecules having a positive dielectric anisotropy. However, such a TN mode liquid crystal display device has the problem that image quality such as a contrast and a color tone is significantly deteriorated when the liquid crystal display device is viewed at oblique angles from above, from underneath, from the left side, and from the right side, as compared with when viewed from the front.
That is, the TN mode liquid crystal display device has high dependence of image quality on viewing angles, and is therefore not suitable for an application in which the liquid crystal display device is expected to be viewed from a direction other than the front.
An IPS (In-Plane Switching) mode liquid crystal display device and an MVA (Multi-domain Vertical Alignment) mode liquid crystal display device are known as liquid crystal display devices in which such dependence of image quality on viewing angles is improved.
For example, according to the MVA mode liquid crystal display device, at least one of two substrates, between which a liquid crystal layer is interposed, has, on its side contacting the liquid crystal layer, (i) a transparent electrode with protrusions that function as orientation separation means and/or (ii) a transparent electrode with slits that function as orientation separation means. With such a transparent electrode(s), each picture element has regions where the liquid crystal molecules are oriented in respective different directions, and this achieves a wide viewing angle characteristic.
FIG. 11 illustrates a schematic configuration of a conventional liquid crystal display device 110 which includes (i) an active matrix substrate having picture element electrodes 160 each of which is made up of subpixel electrodes 163a, 163b, and 163c and slit regions R1 and (ii) a counter substrate having ribs (rivets) or notch sections.
A picture element 114 having a laterally-long shape is substantially evenly divided into subpixels 115a, 115b, and 115c. Further, a picture element electrode 160 is also evenly divided into the subpixel electrodes 163a, 163b, and 163c which correspond to the respective subpixels 115a, 115b, and 115c (see FIG. 11).
Each of the subpixel electrodes 163a, 163b, and 163c has a substantially square shape. Each slit region R1 is provided, by cutting out the picture element electrode 160, (i) between the subpixel electrodes 163a and 163b and (ii) between the subpixel electrodes 163b and 163c. 
For each of the picture elements 114, a TFT 150 having a gate electrode 152, a source electrode 154, and a drain electrode 156 is provided. The subpixel electrode 163a is electrically connected with the drain electrode 156 via a contact hole 168.
The subpixel electrode 163a and the subpixel electrode 163b, which are separated by the slit region R1, are electrically connected with each other via a subpixel electrode connection part 165. Similarly, the subpixel electrode 163b and the subpixel electrode 163c, which are separated by the slit region R1, is electrically connected with each other via a subpixel electrode connection part 165.
As such, the subpixel electrodes 163a, 163b, and 163c are electrically connected with the drain electrode 156 via the contact hole 168 (see FIG. 11).
A scanning signal line 132, electrically connected with the gate electrode 152, is provided below the laterally-long picture element 114 so as to extend in an X direction (lateral direction) in FIG. 11. A storage capacitor line 136, which is formed in a layer in which the gate electrode 152 is formed, is provided substantially in the middle of the picture element 114 so as to extend in parallel with the scanning signal line 132. A data signal line 135, which is electrically connected with the source electrode 154, is provided in a left edge area of the picture element 114 so as to extend in a Y direction (longitudinal direction) in FIG. 11. Further, a storage capacitor counter electrode 140, which is electrically connected with the drain electrode 156, is provided so that, when viewed from the front of the panel, the storage capacitor counter electrode 140 and the storage capacitor line 136 overlap each other via an insulating layer.
On the other hand, ribs 100a (rivet) or notch sections are provided on a side of the counter substrate such that the ribs 100a or the notch sections are located substantially in center parts of the respective subpixel electrodes 163a, 163b, and 163c when the active matrix substrate and the counter substrate are combined together.
According to the configuration, orientation separation means is provided in each of the active matrix substrate and the counter substrate. This makes it possible to provide a liquid crystal display device having a wide viewing angle characteristic.
However, the scanning signal line 132 is provided between adjacent picture element electrodes 160 (see FIG. 11), and, in the liquid crystal display device 110 having the laterally-long picture elements 114, a length of an area, in which the scanning signal line 132 is close to the picture element electrode 160, is long. Therefore, in the liquid crystal display device 110, an oblique electric field is caused in a region R40 located between the scanning signal line 132 and the picture element electrode 160. In the region R40, therefore, orientations of liquid crystal molecules are disordered, and light leakages are caused. This leads to a problem that roughness of image and display unevenness are more likely to be caused by such orientation disorders and light leakages.
Patent Literature 1 discloses a configuration for shielding an electric field of a scanning signal line 132, which electric field causes an orientation disorder of liquid crystal molecules (see FIG. 12). According to the configuration, the scanning signal line 132 is located substantially in the middle of a picture element 114, and the scanning signal line 132 is covered with subpixel electrodes 163a, 163b, and 163c and subpixel electrode connection parts 165 via an insulating layer. With the configuration, the electric field of the scanning signal line 132 is shielded.
According to Patent Literature 1, it is disclosed that a liquid crystal display device can be provided which (i) can suppress an orientation disorder of liquid crystal molecules, (ii) has a wide viewing angle characteristic, and (iii) has improved display quality.